Family Meal

Reviews 3

RO

Roger Hathaway

After having moved from Frederick in 2005 my wife and I periodically return for various reasons. For several years now we have driven by the Family Meal and saw that the lot was always full around meal times. This is normally a good indication of a good place to eat. Unfortunately it is not, or was not on our first visit several hours ago. We were driving by and my wife said we should stop and see what the place is like. Since it was about 4PM and they didnt appear to be very busy I said ok and pulled in. First the hostess was cordial and seated us right away. Then the problems began. We took one look at the menu and prices and remembered that we were in yuppi Frederick. The menu is very poor in its descriptions of the food and what comes with it. The waitress was told we had never been there before and she told us how the menu worked and that each item was single serving except for the entrees which could be split. I had difficulty understanding her as she spoke very fast and low. We finally settled on our order and had to flag down our waitress to place it. I ordered the fired half chicken and my wife ordered tha garden greens with bacon in an apple cider sauce. My chicken was totally devoid of and flavor and when I got to the back the inside of the piece was floating in the oil is had been fried in, the breast wa the same way. Both were literally uneatable and had a nasty taste like the oil was used to fry everything that needed frying. The fact that there was oil iside the chicken indicates that the temperature of the oil was not hot to sear the chicken and prevent the oil from taking up residence in the cooked chicken. The corn biscuits were good, but didnt make up for the chicken. My wife said afterwords that there was no flavor in her meal either. She said that there were large chunks of bacon fat in the mixture with no bacon attached to them. As we were finishing our meal the waitress came by and started to clean up the table, even taking plates that obviously were still being used or had food on them. I had to tell her that I was not finished. At that point she became non existant and very rude. She finally brought the tab and I placed my CC with it and waited while the waitress walked by several times before she took the bill to run. Needless to say she didnt get a very large tip. She received $0.72 as a tip. She could split it with the cook staff (there were 4 of them) who took over twenty minutes to complete our order. My wifes arrived steaming hot while mine arrived luke warm. Did I complain, no because I let my wallet do my talking. We will never return to another of the Voltaggio establishments as from my experience once a bad chef always a bad chef, no matter where you pretend to cook.

LE

Leigh Enterlein

Totally underwhelmed. Weve eaten at FM twice now; once for breakfast and once for dinner. Breakfast was fun, our kids enjoyed the pancakes and I appreciated the kids cups and coloring place mats. Staff was nice although the whole place is just reeking of hipster. Coffee is terrible yuck! My goat cheese omelet was just ok- would not order again. Kids pancakes were good but not great. Home fries were good. I felt that the cost of breakfast while not cheap was reasonable although I probably wouldnt go back for breakfast as nothing was worth having a second time. I took the family to FM again tonight to try the dinner menu largely based on all the positive reviews here. We had duck fat fries- the fries were just regular fries, nothing special but the dipping sauces were great! Hubby ordered the Bryans burger which was good and big (which it should be for $16). I had the Salmon and was very disappointed with my food. The entree was TINY for a $20 meal. It was a 4-5oz piece of meat served with 4 undersized green asparagus pieces, 2 full sized white asparagus and exactly 3 (!) tiny quarter sized new potatoes. The potatoes were under cooked and very firm- actually hard to bite into. The Asparagus was over cooked and limp- which isnt surprising given that all 4 asparagus pieces were half the thickness of a pencil. The salmon was tasty with crispy skin but it was supposed to be served with a caper cream sauce and there was prob a tsp of sauce on the entire plate. I ate everything on the plate and was still HUNGRY! The salmon was the only thing that was even good but Ive had salmon at home off the grill that was better. And for the record Im a 115lb female into eating healthy and moderately. I routinely eat fish and veggies for dinner so if this entree wasnt enough food for me it would not satisfy most people. The thing is if youre going to serve fish with veggies there needs to be at least 1 cup of veggies on the plate. Again, especially for a $20 entree! Our kids had the strawberry shortcake donuts which were also not that great. They each took a bite and pushed their forks away. Hubby and I took a bite and also did not eat any more- the flavors were weird. Our check for the fries, 2 draft beers, one burger, one salmon entree, 2 lemonades and dessert- $72 plus tip. For a mediocre meal in a hipster diner. And both I and my kids left hungry!

OM

Omar S

The original location of Voltaggios diner concept (there are now 3). Except, unlike a typical diner, the staff are cordial, the food is very good, the cocktails are great, even the desserts are decent (you know thats impressive youve ever made the mistake of ordering dessert at a diner). Having been to Family Meal a half dozen or more times (most recently a week ago), I figured it was time to write a review. The menu uses Volt-quality ingredients, so everything is good quality, though I think the mains are more on the mark than the apps. On this most recent visit we had: Brisket entree -- substantial, flavorful cut of brisket, not overcooked (many places cook brisket until its dry) Jambalaya entree -- substantial portion with lots of shrimp and smoked sausage over rice, Filling. Wings starter -- tender, moist, modest portion (8 or 10 wings?). Tossed in a kind of messy sauce, mild heat. Duck Fat fries -- Big portion suitable for sharing, good flavor and non-greasy, multiple dipping sauces. We always order this one. The place has nice decor, a roomy interior with a long L-shaped bar, some outdoor seating. Yes, it used to be a car dealership, and its a 3 minute drive outside of the main drag in Frederick. No big deal, and all of that means minimal traffic and ample parking. It does mean having to relocate for your after-dinner drink or stroll, but the quality here is worth the minor hassle. Service used to be a little pushy-- theyd check on you every 10 minutes, even if you were clearly in the middle of conversation and not needing anything. This most recent visit, the "checking-in" pacing was closer to what I expected. If I had to find a quibble, I find their coffee a little weak. Dessert can be the weakest part of the meal. And the cocktail list doesnt rotate/refresh as often as the rest of the menu. But, I had to stretch to find those quibble (and none are unacceptable for this price-point). So you get Volts cooking for much cheaper (and more casual) than the flagship restaurant, ample parking, cheap ($8) cocktails, and eclectic/seasonal menu with traditional roots. Theres a lot here to like. Highly recommended.